The neat, densly tufted evergreen foliage makes this a perfect grass for the wildflower meadow. Dainty silver-tinted, purple spikelets appear like clouds in summer and provide a real feature well into the autumn. These are easy and reliable plants that will tolerate some shade.

Garden care: Remove the faded flower-heads in late winter before new growth appears. If the foliage has also started to look tatty at that time of the year, then this too can be cut back hard. In warm areas the plant has a tendency to self-seed freely. Where this is the case remove unwanted seedlings as part of routine border maintenance.

Goes well with

Can I give my Descampshia and Stipa grasses a hair-cut?!
Hello I recently bought Deschampsia cespitosa and Stipa tenuissima from yourselves. Can you tell me if it's right to give the grasses their hair-cut now? Many thanks

pauline webster

2009-08-28

Hello There, Grasses are usually cut back in the autumn to neaten them up, however they can be left until spring if you prefer to keep their winter silhouettes. It won't affect their growth at all though as they are coming into their dormant period now, so will put on loads of new growth in spring. I hope this helps. Helen Plant Doctor

Indulge a passion for ornamental grasses by creating a prairie- or meadow-style garden. They can be richly planted with native wildflowers or a selection of complementary perennials and self-seeding annuals to create a naturalistic planting effect.